Blood tracking dog

[Ronaldlee]

Anyone have any experience  blood tracking game with a dog? Would like to know how to properly train and handle a dog to find a lost animal. Thanks,
Ron

[lpcjon2]

Do a search we have a few threads about it. Its all about training them with the blood of the animal. I have a cadaver dog and she will find humans live or dead. it starts will the scent get them used to it and start hiding it and have a command specific to that duty.Persistence is the key.

[Zbone]

Check out:

deersearch.org

and

born-to-track.com

Also, Ryan Rothhaar who visits here, really seems to be into it. May want to try and contact him, do a search.

[D]

My dads little buddy is a half bassett hound and half begal and he is a blood tracking little terd.  My dad calls him his little assetegal.  It must be just luck of the draw because he has never had any training.  A friend of mine made a bad shot on a doe with a compound four of five years ago and we lost the blood trail and had dad bring him out and we put him on the trail and he just took to it.  That little booger drug me all through the woods.  Hes done a great job ever since

[Frenchy]

John Jeanneney's book is a must !
This should be on your reading list, tons of infomation.
Training a young pup to blood trail is very time consuming but very informative.
Socialization is the first step and probably the most important part of the training

[team fudd]

there are states where it is illegal to track deer or other game with dogs. I am all for it, but check your state and local game laws. I understand some will say " it is only to recover a wounded animal"  some states do not see it that way.  I raise and train hunting and field trial beagles and every once in a while I or someone else has a hound that cannot be broke off deer.  I would imagine that a dog like that would be a good place to start.  And most guys will give them away.  I have sent a couple to virginia over the years. They are allowed to run deer with dogs.  Most states do not discern the difference between "running" or hunting deer or other game with dogs and "tracking"  so check out your game laws.  Hope you can make it happen, nothing better than working with well trained hounds!

[Alfie]

Here in Sweden we are under the law to have a tracking dog on site under 2hours when biggame hunting.
Dogs a superior trackers and most breeds can track.
I did a tracking job on at wounded bear last year with my german hunting terrier, didnt find the bear though, and no one else did either as far as I know.

If allowed, use a dog! and it's fun training the dog to, one learns alot about tracking from the dogs behaivior.
I use my dog to find signs as blood, bone fragments and so on, when she finds anything she stays a bit longer (about 2 sec more, remind you, it is a  german hunting terrier!).
And It's good for the dog to use the nose and mind in doing something that it's born to do.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

My wife and I got into blood tracking with a dog several years ago and it has become quite the past-time for us now.  We take calls during deer season and track for folks (no charge) both to help them recover deer and to help develop our dog with more tracking experience than I can give him with my own deer.

You want to do a bunch of research into what breed would be right for YOU....not what breed is right for me, the other guys on Tradgang, or for some guy that writes a book.  John's book has a decent overview of many of the common breeds used in the US - of course in Europe there are many more breeds used for tracking - and is a good place to start.  Keep in mind that you need a combination of prey drive, focus, and intelligence to get the job done - this combination is the key, regardless of the breed.  Some breeds just have more potential than others in these respects.  Of course hunting bred (European bloodline) Dachshunds (Teckels) are becoming more common for use in the US (due in large part to the exposure from John's book - as well as by some very dedicated breeders that don't advertise as much).  Our Oskar is a standard sized smooth haired Teckel from a mixture of northern European and Austrian bloodlines.  If you haven't been around one of these European dogs don't judge them by what you might know about pet bred weiner dogs from the US!  These weiners can be REAL hunting machines!

We (well actually mostly my wife) trained him with very close input from our breeder - this is IMPERATIVE in my opinion - a breeder that is willing to put in the time to help you - the breeder is (or should be) the expert here, you are learning from them.  I would not buy a pup for a blood tracking prospect from a breeder that does not have personal experience tracking.  My wife and I probably put over 200 hours working with Oskar specifically on tracking his first 2 years - not so much "training" as "enabling" him to use his innate abilities - and HE trained Katia and myself probably more than we trained him.  It is a big commitment to develop a good blood tracking dog.  A real tracking dog has no more to do with "running deer" than a pig does with flying.  Controlled tracking and "running deer" are mutually exclusive concepts.

We are certainly not experts, but we are learning, maybe slowly!  My biggest warning to you is to find a pup you can live with - you will own the dog 365 days a year, and track a few times a year during a 2-3 month period.  Also, you won't have a good tracking dog simply by buying a "name" or high dollar dog - the same as you can't become an expert archer just by buying a high priced bow - the innate abilities of the dog (bloodline) and support by your breeder will enable success.

Sorry for the long post...we are really into the tracking thing.  It has added a real dimension to our hunting experience, and we've been able to recover quite a few deer that would have otherwise been lost....and that is the REALLY important part!

Best of luck

Ryan

[Mike Vines]

Down in Texas last fall, I had the pleasure of watching a Lacy (breed of dog) work on a blood trail.  That dog was flat out amazing.  I never saw any blood past the point of impact, but that dog followed the same exit path as the deer and made it a very easy recovery that in my eyes, recovery would have been marginal at best without her.

[J.T.]

this is a pic of my tracking dog Fletch at 4 months old with the first deer he tracked.  He is half bloodhound and half redbone I've had him for two deer seasons and have tracked many deer for friends and family with him.  The first year I had him he tracked 4 deer with two finds and the other two he was able to take far enough and show us enough sign to indicate that the deer was going to make it.  This season he tracked 7 deer with 6 finds and one that we were able to determine was only a flesh wound.  I would highly recomend John Jeanneneys book "Tracking dogs for finding wounded deer" in the book he goes over many different breeds wich is helpfull in deciding what breed to buy, as well as how to train them.  Having a tracking dog has been alot of fun I love watching him work out a trail and then draging me through the woods.  The hardest thing for me to learn was to trust the dog and his nose he would make turns that I didn't think the deer had made and I would pull him of and go back to the last sign then he would make the same turns I've been suprised many times when I finnaly let him go further and find sign of the deer.  Dogs naturally have the instinct to track I feel that the bigest thing to tracking with a dog is to learn to work as a team.

[Tim Finley]

My son has a beagle that we have trained and she has found quite a few deer . One year I think it was about 15, one deer that had been shot and not found was laying for 5 days my son was on a hunting trip and not home at the time. When he returned he got the message and she tracked the deer for  1/4 mile and found it it had been gut shot which evivdently leaves more scent.

[Mike Vines]

Jordan, Fletch is an awesome dog.  Hard to not like him.

[TxAg]

Papa Ron has a great blood trailing dog. Half lab, half Black Mouth Cur.  
 
Shes impressive

[tracker1]

Jordan, Fletch is a great looking dog.  I thought he was a redbone as soon as I saw him.  I have a jack russell that im working with to blood trail.  I second Jordans recommendation on John Jeanneneys book.  There is alot of good information that a beginner could use in John's book

[tippit]

I agree with Ryan in make sure you really want a dog first cause the tracking is a small part of having a loyal pet.  My two Jeanneney Dachshunds...Tilly & daughter Cash.  tippit

 

 

[awbowman]

A couple of my buddies have a Blue Lacey, check them out.